Improved method of driving fence-posts



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. WEST, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

IMPROVED METHOD OF DRIVING FENCE-POSTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 57,231, dated August14, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. WEST, of Indianapolis,in the countyofMarion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Machinefor Driving Fence-Posts; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making part of the same, in which- Figure l is aside elevation of the machine; and Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of thesame.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts in theseveral tigures.

The object of this invention is to provide a convenient and efficientportable machine for driving fence-posts; and to this end it consists ina frame-work mounted on wheels and having vertical guides in which aweight or hammer for driving the posts is arranged to be raised anddropped by means of a cam on the under side of a lever operated bycog-wheels and crank, the guide in which the weight moves serving alsoas a guide to keep the post in the line of the direction of the blowfrom the weight, and also in arranging to adjust the guidesperpendicular to a horizontal line when the wheels stand on sloping orinclined ground, so that the posts may be driven perpendicularly.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to (lescribe it.

On the running-gears of any suitable wagon I place a frame-work, A, anderect thereon, at the rear end, vertical guides B, in which is arrangedan iron weight or hammer, O, having pins projecting from oppositesides'into vertical slots in the guides B, as shown, to keep the weightproperly in the guides. The weight C may be solid, as shown, or thelowerend may be solid, and above that, and attached to it, a case to holdstone, pieces of iron, or other heavy substance, to be increased ordiminished at pleasure, or as the nature of the ground may require.

Toward the forward end of the frame A two standards, D7 are set, inwhich the shaft E is hung, to which the lever F is attached. The otherend of the lever passes through a mortise in the weight G, though thismay be done in any other suitable manner.

G is a cam fixed to the under side of lever F. H is a large cog-wheel,hung on frame A, having pins s s s projecting from its side, on whichsmall friction-rollers are placed. I is a pinion, also hung on frame A,to the shaft of which cranks J J are attached.

By means of the cranks J J the pinion I is rotated, which, in turn,rotates wheel H. The pins s s s raise the lever F by means of the cam G,which raises the weight or hammer C, which drops freely by its owngravity as soon as the pin s passes'the lower point of the cam G. l

It will be seen that by this arrangement I am enabled to raise and dropthe weight rapidly without the expenditure ot' great power.

A levereccentrie, L, is xed to each side of the frame A, over the rearaxle, by means of which either side of the frame may be raised for thepurpose of adjusting the vertical guidesv B perpendicular to ahorizontal line while the wheels stand on sloping ground, thus enablingme to drive the posts perpendicular.

Any other mode of raising the side of the frame to adj ust the guides Bperpendicularly may be adopted, if desired, as it can be done in variousways.

The arrangement for raising and dropping the weight may be placedtransversely to that now shown, and the weight placed at the sideinstead of the rear, if found more convenient, the arrangement in otherrespects being essentially the same as shown.

I make no claim to the adjustment of the guides perpendicularly, as thishas been done before.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

Raising and dropping the weight C by means of the cam G, pins s s s, andwheels H and I, when mounted on wheels and made portable, and arrangedand operated in the manner and for the purpose substantially as setforth.

GEORGE E. WEST.

Witnesses:

O. F. MAYHEW, A. NIcioLs.

